Carbon, towards an integrated policy

Following the regulatory greenhouse gas emissions assessment (scope 1 and 2) conducted by Eiffage in 2012 and updated in 2015, the Group was able to implement carbon action plans in its divisions. These plans were based on reduction targets jointly set by the Group and its divisions, taking into account the specific nature of the various businesses lines.

E

iffage adopted a carbon strategy targeting both its internal organisation and its customers, focused on measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of the Group’s activities and harnessing greenhouse gas emission reductions as a competitive advantage.

Greenhouse gas emissions assessment

The Group’s greenhouse gas emissions assessment was published on 15 November 2012, using 2011 data processed in accordance with regulatory requirements. The same calculation method was used to assess emissions in 2014.

Note : The greenhouse gas emissions assessment covers all the Group’s business activities over the year, including new activities.

Practical steps

The Eiffage Group's four divisions - Construction, Infrastructures, Energy and Concessions – are committed to the fight against climate change, through their activities and their sustainable cities integrated offering. Eiffage is working towards this goal in a concerted effort with other French companies. In the light of the COP 21 environmental summit, the target is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5% over the 2015-2018 period.

In their 10 sustainable development pledges, APRR and AREA underline the importance of managing carbon footprints in the construction and operation of motorways, and improving the energy efficiency of installations. Several projects have been launched, including continuing the rollout of non-stop toll collection and the recycling of coated aggregates during road maintenance work.

As regards the operation of motorways, the action plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions is focused, above all, on continuing to rationalise its vehicle fleet and optimising traffic light installations. It also concerns working methods and behaviour regarding work-related travel: training in ecodriving, fostering car-pooling, developing individual video-conferencing in addition to using rooms already equipped for video-conferencing.

Cutting the power consumption of public and services sector lighting and of operating facilities is one of the criteria in the multi-year investment programmes.

APRR and AREA are also contributing to the electric mobility of their customers, by way of a partnership with the EDF group and its Sodetrel subsidiary, in the context of the Corri-Door project. Quick universal electric vehicle charging facilities will be provided at 44 service areas on seven stretches of motorway.

Focus

Electric vehicles for toll rounds

The utility version of the Renault Zoé vehicle has been doing the rounds of remotely-operated toll stations since spring 2015 for the AREA network’s toll centre at Chambéry. Every 50 km, this clean, quiet vehicle which has a range of about 100 km is connected up to a quick-charging station installed specifically for that purpose. A second electric vehicle will be acquired in 2016. APRR plans to introduce electric mobility in the Villefranche district, in a suburban area north of Lyon

Eiffage Construction’s action plan is focused, in particular, on cutting electricity and diesel fuel consumption by its electric car fleet, carpooling and investment in video-conferencing systems. The actions taken are backed up by campaigns to heighten the awareness of employees.

In the field of eco-design, the division’s vision goes further than the environmental protection steps of choosing construction materials using the company’s ACV life cycle analyser and operating clean, ISO 14001 certified construction sites. Drawing on solutions developed under the Phosphore research programme, the approach adopted also includes measures to combat energy insecurity and improve services to building users. Eco-design is applied to both certified projects (such as HQE®, BRREAM® and LEED®) and project management, and is implemented in support of companies’ QSE (quality, safety and environment) certiﬁcations in line with the principles of social responsibility

Eiffage Energie turned its attention to reducing energy consumption through its offering and in its in-house activity. The division highlighted the efficiency achieved on the basis of efforts made over a number of years, through its ISO 50 001 certification campaign which was completed in December 2015.

Vehicle fuel consumption monitoring has been implemented and consolidated region by region since 2013 to draw managers’ attention to the corresponding environmental impacts. The geo-management and optimisation of vehicle fleets has been developed in all regions. Purchases of hybrid and electric vehicles were notably aimed at maintenance activities and infrastructure construction sites.

Developing a tool to assess greenhouse gas emissions on SERCE company construction sites

In early 2014, a SERCE working group was set up to adapt the SEVE eco-comparison tool developed by French road industry association USIRF to the needs of firms across the industry. The first task for the working group, which includes Eiffage Energie, was to study network and infrastructure activities: underground and overhead HV and LV power lines, street lighting, EVCS, FTTH and signs.

Managing travel: Making use of video-conferencing and tele-conferencing, optimising the vehicle fleet and its management, acquiring electric vehicles for the fleet, providing personnel with training in and information on ecodriving, etc ...

The Infrastructures division pushed ahead with its national campaign to save energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions on its coated aggregate installations by: replacing oil with gas to cut atmospheric emissions, reducing manufacturing temperatures by covering stocks and producing warm coated aggregates, installing more efficient heating systems, improving insulation at specific points where heat is lost from bitumen plants and optimising production cycles by providing operators with training in eco-driving and in the use of suitable control software.

Focus

Reducing consumption

One of the solutions adopted to cut power consumption as well as dust and CO2 emission in quarries is replacing dumpers with electric belt conveyors. Six dumpers have been replaced at Roches Bleues quarry, in Hérault, and the same step is to be taken at Izeaux quarry in 2017.

Over the past few years, Eiffage Route has been expanding its low-carbon offerings, particularly in the light of feedback relating to the various EBT® technologies, logistical improvements in consolidating coated aggregates, the development of Biochape® formulations and the recent development of a new product, called Biocold®, laid at ambient temperature.

The division is also seeking to limit greenhouse gases emitted during production processes by upgrading aggregate coating plants, optimising aggregate production at quarries, and implementing PRO3 software to manage and monitor coated aggregate production. Other new focus areas include condensing the weekly production schedule into fewer days at binder plants and using belt conveyors at quarries.

In terms of training, the division pushed ahead with the eco-driving training initiative launched in 2010. As a result, after providing eco-driving training for heavy goods vehicle drivers, this training programme was extended to cover light utility vehicle drivers in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region. The target is to reduce fuel consumption by 5% or 6%. This training programme will be phased over a two-year period before being implemented in the Champagne-Ardenne region.

A four-pronged action plan has been launched with the following aims :

Managing travel: Making use of video-conferencing and tele-conferencing, optimising the vehicle fleet and its management, providing personnel with training in and information on ecodriving, etc.

Cutting emissions related to the production of coated materials: reducing manufacturing temperatures, saving on stocks, change of fuel, optimising production cycles.

A station for new know-how

Eiffage Génie Civil is developing its expertise in carbon footprint reduction by playing an active part in the validation of computation models and to test new construction site monitoring systems in order to optimise its project management, as it did in 2014 for SNCF with the creation of Rosa-Parks station on the RER E urban railway in Paris.

The plan adopted is geared to the business activities and specifies various regional targets. The regional roads unit manages indicators allocated to different areas, including the tonnage of EBT® coated material produced, the amount of CO2 per tonne of coated materials produced, the percentage of drivers given eco-driving training, the monitoring of vehicle fuel consumption, the monitoring of power consumption at industrial sites and offices, and the number of projects assessed with the SEVE eco-variant tool.